Village houses in the Cotswolds are increasingly sought after by buyers looking to combine the best of town and country within easy reach of London, and this outstanding recent entrant to the market will make those buyers sit up with interest.
Anthony Coaker of Savills in Cirencester is handling the sale, for the first time since 1986, of charming, Grade II-listed Preston Place in the rural village of Preston, two miles from Cirencester and six miles from Kemble station — a 74-minute train-ride from London Paddington.
Savills quote a guide price of £3m for the house, originally a vicarage built by William Bridges of Cirencester in 1818, which stands next to the church of All Saints in the centre of the village.
Approached through a set of stone gates up a gravel driveway, Preston Place stands in 2½ acres of beautiful gardens and grounds that include a swimming pool and pool house which look as if they've been shipped lock, stock and barrel from a Tuscan villa. There is also an astro-turf tennis court and a productive vegetable patch.
The first floor of the coach house has been converted into a large flat with an open-plan kitchen/living area, a bedroom and bathroom, and two garages and the original stables below.
The classic, late-Georgian main house has been carefully maintained throughout, with the addition of a new kitchen in recent years.
That kitchen is quite a selling point. It's the obvious hub of the house and beautifully done, with hand-made units from Stroud furniture makers and a four-door Aga as well as a gas range cooker. Leading on from the kitchen there is a large larder, snug, boot room and laundry room — exactly the sort of things that buyers moving out from the city won't be used to, and will surely grow to love.
In all, it offers 6,275sq ft of light, well-proportioned living space on three floors, including three main reception rooms, a garden room, snug and kitchen, with a spacious principal bedroom suite, three further bedrooms and two bathrooms on the first floor, and two double bedrooms and a bathroom on the second.
Preston Place is for sale via Savills at £3 million — see more details and pictures.
Where to live in the Cotswolds: A guide to choosing the perfect spot
Where in the Cotswolds should you move to? The answer will depend on what is more important to you and
How the architecture of the Cotswolds came to define the archetypal English country village
The architecture of the Cotswolds is almost intrinsically linked to popular conceptions of the English country village. Clive Aslet considers
Credit: Strutt and Parker
Best country houses for sale this week
An irresistible West Country cottage and a magnificent Cumbrian country house make our pick of the finest country houses for
-
The century-old enamelling technique used to create Van Cleef's lucky ladybird brooch — which has something in common with Country LifeThe technique used in the jeweller's Geneva workshop has been put to good use in its latest creation.
-
‘The best sleep in the sky’: What it’s like to fly in United’s Polaris cabin, approved by American icon Martha StewartUnited’s Business Class cabin goes by the name Polaris and Martha Stewart is a fan. So, how does it fare?
-
18 magnificent homes for sale from £550k to £20 million, as seen in Country LifeFrom a charming thatched cottage to a 300-acre estate with its own vineyard, here's our pick of places to come to the market via Country Life of late.
-
If heaven is on earth, it might be in this home with a converted chapel that is now a swimming pool5 Wood Barton Town House is part of an exclusive 80-acre development in Devon that also comes with fishing rights on the River Avon and four bedrooms.
-
The sounds of spring and stained glass in an Arts-and-Crafts masterpiece in DorsetWith 35 acres, more than 10 bedrooms, a swimming pool and tennis court, Winterfield has it all.
-
An eight-bedroom wonder in East Sussex where the outdoors are an adventureThe interiors of Old Middleton are pretty good too.
-
A lakeside farmhouse on the market in the beautiful heart of PembrokeshireA lake, streams, 15 acres and five bedrooms. Rogershook might have it all.
-
An idyllic countryside home that's light, spacious and comes with a Grade II-listed follyHagg House is a gorgeous family home that just happens to have a miniature castle in the gardens. Annabel Dixon explains more.
-
A historic villa for sale on the Via Nomentana worthy of Rome's rich historyThree floors, lots of balconies, and a private garden in one of Rome's loveliest neighbourhoods.
-
Eight bedrooms of unlisted Edwardian elegance with sweeping views of SomersetAshton House sits near the market town of Chard and comes with a wealth of amenities both inside and out.
